YouLend
Sales-based merchant cash advance up to $2 million for one fixed fee (~36% APR in our example), no published credit minimum, approval in 24 hours. Best for Stripe, Etsy and FreshBooks sellers.
Rates & Cost
What the financing costs, normalized so lenders can be compared.
Repayment Terms
How and how fast you pay it back, and how flexible it is.
Eligibility & Access
Who qualifies and what you have to put on the line.
Speed & Service
How fast you get funded and how the lender treats you.
Company Verification
Who actually stands behind the lender: legal entity, registration, and how long the business and its website have existed. Checked against public registries.
Best for: U.S. merchants who sell through a YouLend partner such as Stripe, Etsy, FreshBooks or Paysafe and want sales-based cash within days, with repayments that shrink when sales slow.
Not for: Businesses that want a price before applying or don't process sales through a platform YouLend can read. A bank line or SBA loan will usually cost less if you qualify.
Lender List verdict: YouLend is an established embedded funder whose advances flex with your sales, so slow months hurt far less than with a fixed loan. The trade-off is an unpublished fixed fee: a 10% fee repaid in about 6.5 months works out to roughly 36% APR.
YouLend at a glance
YouLend advances up to $2 million against future sales for one fixed fee, mostly through payment and e-commerce partners.
| YouLend | |
|---|---|
| Lender type | Direct funder of sales-based merchant cash advances, mainly via partners |
| Founded | 2016 |
| HQ | London, UK; U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, GA |
| Parent/owner | Not disclosed (operating entities: YouLend Limited, UK; YouLend US LLC) |
| Products | Capital (sales-based advances, fixed payments, finance line), Instant Payouts, Spend |
| Amounts | Up to $2 million ($1,000 to $1 million in the FreshBooks program) |
| Cost (headline) | One fixed fee, not published; about 26% to 36% APR in our example |
| Term | No fixed term on sales-based advances |
| Funding speed | Approval in as little as 24 hours; funds as little as 48 hours later |
| Status | Active (2026-10-26); U.S. and nine European countries |
What is YouLend?
YouLend is a London-based embedded financing company, founded in 2016, that funds small businesses through the platforms they already sell on and reports more than 370,000 financings in over ten countries.
It entered the U.S. in 2023 and runs U.S. operations from Atlanta through YouLend US LLC. Here it provides the merchant cash advances inside Stripe Capital and runs programs for Etsy, FreshBooks and Paysafe merchants. Castlelake (November 2024) and Värde Partners (March 2026, up to $225 million of receivables) back its U.S. funding.
How YouLend financing works
YouLend buys a slice of your future sales for a lump sum plus one fixed fee, then takes a set percentage of each sale until that total is repaid.
- Repayment: A fixed share of each sale, deducted automatically; the percentage is set in your agreement.
- Term: None. Through Stripe, there is no payment schedule or periodic minimum.
- Funding speed: Approval in as little as 24 hours; funds as soon as 48 hours later.
- Extra payments: Any time, by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or ACH.
Who gets an offer
YouLend offers are mostly pre-qualified invitations from a partner platform, sized from the sales data it shares.
YouLend publishes no U.S. minimums. Through Stripe Capital you need three months of processing, $5,000 a year in volume and $1,000 a month on average over the last three months. Etsy shows offers to eligible sellers but doesn't decide approval. Stripe says steady, growing volume and few chargebacks improve the offer.
YouLend rates and fees: what it really costs
YouLend charges one fixed fee rather than interest; in our 10% fee example that equals roughly 26% to 36% APR, depending on how fast sales repay it.
- Charged: the one fixed fee
- Not charged through Stripe Capital: late, early-payment or origination fees
- Possible: administration or collection costs in individual contracts (Business Expert, UK)
- Not published: the fee range, maximum fee or repayment percentage
Worked example: take $25,000 at a 10% fee (Business Expert's example rate) and you owe $27,500. Sending 20% of $700 in daily sales repays $140 a day, so with sales every day you finish in about 197 days (6.5 months), roughly 36% APR. Selling only on weekdays stretches payoff to about 9 months and cuts the APR to about 26%. If one month's sales halve to $350 a day, payments drop to $70 a day, payoff moves out 15 days, and the fee stays $2,500. Business Expert estimates about 20% to 79% APR for 12- to 3-month paybacks.
YouLend requirements
YouLend has no published U.S. credit-score floor or revenue minimum.
| Requirement | YouLend minimum |
|---|---|
| Personal credit score | No published minimum |
| Time in business | Not published (Stripe channel: 3 months processing) |
| Annual revenue | Not published (Stripe channel: $5,000 a year) |
| Bank account / integrations | Sales through a partner platform or connected bank feed |
| Credit check | Not stated for the U.S.; Stripe says any personal check won't affect your score |
| Collateral / guarantee | Security interest possible on some Stripe advances; U.S. guarantee policy not published |
YouLend decides from your sales data, so consistent volume matters more than your credit score.
Pros and cons
YouLend's best feature is repayment that tracks sales; its worst is a price you can't see until an offer arrives.
Pros
- Payments fall with sales, with no periodic minimum through Stripe
- Approval in as little as 24 hours
- Ceiling of up to $2 million
- Extra payments allowed any time
- Trustpilot 4.8/5 from 12,566 reviews, mostly UK customers
Cons
- No published fee range or repayment percentage
- Fast payback is expensive: about 36% APR in our example
- Paying early doesn't shrink the fee
- Mostly reachable only through partner platforms
YouLend vs. Parafin vs. Wayflyer
YouLend tops out at $2 million, against Wayflyer's $20 million and Parafin's platform-set limits.
| YouLend | Parafin | Wayflyer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max amount | Up to $2 million | Not published on parafin.com (Amazon program: $500 to $10 million) | Up to $20 million |
| Pricing | One fixed fee, not published | One fixed fee, no interest; range not published | One-time fee typically 5% to 10% |
| Min FICO | No published minimum | No credit checks | Not published |
| Min time in business | Not published (Stripe channel: 3 months) | Set by platform (Amazon: 3+ months) | 6 months (physical goods/software) |
| Min annual revenue | Not published (Stripe channel: $5,000) | Not published | Avg $10,000/month over 6 months |
| Repayment | % of each sale; no fixed term | Fixed % of sales, daily, weekly or bi-weekly | % of sales or fixed; daily to bi-weekly |
| Early payoff | Allowed; fee not reduced | Fee owed in full | Allowed; fee not reduced |
Parafin and Wayflyer figures are from their own sites and Amazon's Parafin launch release, checked 2026-10-26.
Choose YouLend if your platform already shows a YouLend offer. Choose Parafin if you sell on Amazon or another Parafin partner. Choose Wayflyer if you run a larger e-commerce brand and want published fees.
YouLend alternatives on Lender List
The closest YouLend alternatives are Stripe Capital, Parafin, Shopify Capital, PayPal Working Capital and Wayflyer.
- Stripe Capital — YouLend funds its merchant cash advances
- Parafin — embedded advances on Amazon and other marketplaces
- Shopify Capital — up to $2 million for Shopify stores
- PayPal Working Capital — same model for PayPal sellers
- Wayflyer — larger, direct-apply financing
- Browse all platform-embedded capital on Lender List
Frequently asked questions about YouLend
YouLend is a legitimate U.S. and European funder that advances up to $2 million against future sales for one fixed fee.
Is YouLend Available in the US? Yes. YouLend has funded U.S. merchants since 2023 through YouLend US LLC, based in Atlanta. Most U.S. businesses reach it through a partner such as Stripe Capital, where YouLend provides the merchant cash advances, or Etsy, FreshBooks and Paysafe, rather than applying directly.
Does Etsy Use YouLend? Yes. Etsy offers YouLend cash advances to eligible sellers living in the U.S., as well as in the UK, France, Germany and Poland. YouLend is a separate company, you sign directly with it, and Etsy has no role in approval or amount. Repayments are tied to your Etsy sales.
Where Is YouLend's US Office? Atlanta, Georgia. According to its March 2026 Värde Partners announcement, YouLend runs its U.S. business from a bigger Atlanta office, while the company itself is based in London. U.S. customers can reach support at +1 470 740 9920 or ussupport@youlend.com.
Is YouLend Legit? Yes. YouLend has operated since 2016, has funded more than 370,000 businesses, and is backed by U.S. facilities from Castlelake and Värde Partners. Its UK arm is an FCA-authorised payment institution, though the financing itself isn't FCA-regulated. Trustpilot rates it 4.8/5 from 12,566 reviews.
How Long Does YouLend Take to Process? As little as three days: YouLend says approval can come in 24 hours and money 48 hours after that. Through Stripe Capital, approved funds typically land in 1 to 2 business days. YouLend says onboarded customers may also get same-day top-ups on later funding.
Is YouLend a Loan or a Merchant Cash Advance? It is a merchant cash advance in the U.S. Stripe describes YouLend's product as a purchase of your future receivables, not a loan or credit transaction, and YouLend calls its Paysafe program "not a loan." You repay a fixed fee through a share of sales instead of interest.
What Happens If Sales Drop? Your YouLend payments drop with them, because each one is a fixed percentage of the sale. Through Stripe there is no periodic minimum, and the fee never grows if repayment takes longer. If sales stop entirely, Etsy says YouLend's support team can set up a revised repayment plan.
Last verified 2026-10-26. Pricing and terms are provider-stated or third-party-reported and vary by offer; confirm with the lender before applying.
Best for: U.S. merchants who sell through a YouLend partner such as Stripe, Etsy, FreshBooks or Paysafe and want sales-based cash within days, with repayments that shrink when sales slow.
Not for: Businesses that want a price before applying or don't process sales through a platform YouLend can read. A bank line or SBA loan will usually cost less if you qualify.
Lender List verdict: YouLend is an established embedded funder whose advances flex with your sales, so slow months hurt far less than with a fixed loan. The trade-off is an unpublished fixed fee: a 10% fee repaid in about 6.5 months works out to roughly 36% APR.
YouLend at a glance
YouLend advances up to $2 million against future sales for one fixed fee, mostly through payment and e-commerce partners.
| YouLend | |
|---|---|
| Lender type | Direct funder of sales-based merchant cash advances, mainly via partners |
| Founded | 2016 |
| HQ | London, UK; U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, GA |
| Parent/owner | Not disclosed (operating entities: YouLend Limited, UK; YouLend US LLC) |
| Products | Capital (sales-based advances, fixed payments, finance line), Instant Payouts, Spend |
| Amounts | Up to $2 million ($1,000 to $1 million in the FreshBooks program) |
| Cost (headline) | One fixed fee, not published; about 26% to 36% APR in our example |
| Term | No fixed term on sales-based advances |
| Funding speed | Approval in as little as 24 hours; funds as little as 48 hours later |
| Status | Active (2026-10-26); U.S. and nine European countries |
What is YouLend?
YouLend is a London-based embedded financing company, founded in 2016, that funds small businesses through the platforms they already sell on and reports more than 370,000 financings in over ten countries.
It entered the U.S. in 2023 and runs U.S. operations from Atlanta through YouLend US LLC. Here it provides the merchant cash advances inside Stripe Capital and runs programs for Etsy, FreshBooks and Paysafe merchants. Castlelake (November 2024) and Värde Partners (March 2026, up to $225 million of receivables) back its U.S. funding.
How YouLend financing works
YouLend buys a slice of your future sales for a lump sum plus one fixed fee, then takes a set percentage of each sale until that total is repaid.
- Repayment: A fixed share of each sale, deducted automatically; the percentage is set in your agreement.
- Term: None. Through Stripe, there is no payment schedule or periodic minimum.
- Funding speed: Approval in as little as 24 hours; funds as soon as 48 hours later.
- Extra payments: Any time, by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or ACH.
Who gets an offer
YouLend offers are mostly pre-qualified invitations from a partner platform, sized from the sales data it shares.
YouLend publishes no U.S. minimums. Through Stripe Capital you need three months of processing, $5,000 a year in volume and $1,000 a month on average over the last three months. Etsy shows offers to eligible sellers but doesn't decide approval. Stripe says steady, growing volume and few chargebacks improve the offer.
YouLend rates and fees: what it really costs
YouLend charges one fixed fee rather than interest; in our 10% fee example that equals roughly 26% to 36% APR, depending on how fast sales repay it.
- Charged: the one fixed fee
- Not charged through Stripe Capital: late, early-payment or origination fees
- Possible: administration or collection costs in individual contracts (Business Expert, UK)
- Not published: the fee range, maximum fee or repayment percentage
Worked example: take $25,000 at a 10% fee (Business Expert's example rate) and you owe $27,500. Sending 20% of $700 in daily sales repays $140 a day, so with sales every day you finish in about 197 days (6.5 months), roughly 36% APR. Selling only on weekdays stretches payoff to about 9 months and cuts the APR to about 26%. If one month's sales halve to $350 a day, payments drop to $70 a day, payoff moves out 15 days, and the fee stays $2,500. Business Expert estimates about 20% to 79% APR for 12- to 3-month paybacks.
YouLend requirements
YouLend has no published U.S. credit-score floor or revenue minimum.
| Requirement | YouLend minimum |
|---|---|
| Personal credit score | No published minimum |
| Time in business | Not published (Stripe channel: 3 months processing) |
| Annual revenue | Not published (Stripe channel: $5,000 a year) |
| Bank account / integrations | Sales through a partner platform or connected bank feed |
| Credit check | Not stated for the U.S.; Stripe says any personal check won't affect your score |
| Collateral / guarantee | Security interest possible on some Stripe advances; U.S. guarantee policy not published |
YouLend decides from your sales data, so consistent volume matters more than your credit score.
Pros and cons
YouLend's best feature is repayment that tracks sales; its worst is a price you can't see until an offer arrives.
Pros
- Payments fall with sales, with no periodic minimum through Stripe
- Approval in as little as 24 hours
- Ceiling of up to $2 million
- Extra payments allowed any time
- Trustpilot 4.8/5 from 12,566 reviews, mostly UK customers
Cons
- No published fee range or repayment percentage
- Fast payback is expensive: about 36% APR in our example
- Paying early doesn't shrink the fee
- Mostly reachable only through partner platforms
YouLend vs. Parafin vs. Wayflyer
YouLend tops out at $2 million, against Wayflyer's $20 million and Parafin's platform-set limits.
| YouLend | Parafin | Wayflyer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max amount | Up to $2 million | Not published on parafin.com (Amazon program: $500 to $10 million) | Up to $20 million |
| Pricing | One fixed fee, not published | One fixed fee, no interest; range not published | One-time fee typically 5% to 10% |
| Min FICO | No published minimum | No credit checks | Not published |
| Min time in business | Not published (Stripe channel: 3 months) | Set by platform (Amazon: 3+ months) | 6 months (physical goods/software) |
| Min annual revenue | Not published (Stripe channel: $5,000) | Not published | Avg $10,000/month over 6 months |
| Repayment | % of each sale; no fixed term | Fixed % of sales, daily, weekly or bi-weekly | % of sales or fixed; daily to bi-weekly |
| Early payoff | Allowed; fee not reduced | Fee owed in full | Allowed; fee not reduced |
Parafin and Wayflyer figures are from their own sites and Amazon's Parafin launch release, checked 2026-10-26.
Choose YouLend if your platform already shows a YouLend offer. Choose Parafin if you sell on Amazon or another Parafin partner. Choose Wayflyer if you run a larger e-commerce brand and want published fees.
YouLend alternatives on Lender List
The closest YouLend alternatives are Stripe Capital, Parafin, Shopify Capital, PayPal Working Capital and Wayflyer.
- Stripe Capital — YouLend funds its merchant cash advances
- Parafin — embedded advances on Amazon and other marketplaces
- Shopify Capital — up to $2 million for Shopify stores
- PayPal Working Capital — same model for PayPal sellers
- Wayflyer — larger, direct-apply financing
- Browse all platform-embedded capital on Lender List
Frequently asked questions about YouLend
YouLend is a legitimate U.S. and European funder that advances up to $2 million against future sales for one fixed fee.
Is YouLend Available in the US? Yes. YouLend has funded U.S. merchants since 2023 through YouLend US LLC, based in Atlanta. Most U.S. businesses reach it through a partner such as Stripe Capital, where YouLend provides the merchant cash advances, or Etsy, FreshBooks and Paysafe, rather than applying directly.
Does Etsy Use YouLend? Yes. Etsy offers YouLend cash advances to eligible sellers living in the U.S., as well as in the UK, France, Germany and Poland. YouLend is a separate company, you sign directly with it, and Etsy has no role in approval or amount. Repayments are tied to your Etsy sales.
Where Is YouLend's US Office? Atlanta, Georgia. According to its March 2026 Värde Partners announcement, YouLend runs its U.S. business from a bigger Atlanta office, while the company itself is based in London. U.S. customers can reach support at +1 470 740 9920 or ussupport@youlend.com.
Is YouLend Legit? Yes. YouLend has operated since 2016, has funded more than 370,000 businesses, and is backed by U.S. facilities from Castlelake and Värde Partners. Its UK arm is an FCA-authorised payment institution, though the financing itself isn't FCA-regulated. Trustpilot rates it 4.8/5 from 12,566 reviews.
How Long Does YouLend Take to Process? As little as three days: YouLend says approval can come in 24 hours and money 48 hours after that. Through Stripe Capital, approved funds typically land in 1 to 2 business days. YouLend says onboarded customers may also get same-day top-ups on later funding.
Is YouLend a Loan or a Merchant Cash Advance? It is a merchant cash advance in the U.S. Stripe describes YouLend's product as a purchase of your future receivables, not a loan or credit transaction, and YouLend calls its Paysafe program "not a loan." You repay a fixed fee through a share of sales instead of interest.
What Happens If Sales Drop? Your YouLend payments drop with them, because each one is a fixed percentage of the sale. Through Stripe there is no periodic minimum, and the fee never grows if repayment takes longer. If sales stop entirely, Etsy says YouLend's support team can set up a revised repayment plan.
Last verified 2026-10-26. Pricing and terms are provider-stated or third-party-reported and vary by offer; confirm with the lender before applying.
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